
Anglo-America: dark green indicates countries traditionally included in the region (Canada and the United States), while light green indicates regions where English is prevalent, or where people have English historical roots, including the Canadian province of Quebec where French predominates 'Anglo-America' is a term used to describe those parts of the
Americas in which
English is the main language, or having significant historical, ethnic, linguistic, and cultural links to
England/
United Kingdom or the
British Isles in general. Alternatively, Anglo-America is the American portion of the
Anglosphere. Anglo-America is distinct from
Latin America, a region of the Americas where
Romance languages derived from
Latin (namely,
French,
Spanish and
Portuguese) are prevalent.
Anglo-America includes the
United States and
Canada in
North America, and the term is frequently used in reference to the two countries together.
[1] In
Middle and
South America,
Belize,
Guyana,
Jamaica, and several other
Caribbean territories may also be included, as is
Bermuda (a British possession 1000 kilometres east of the American mainland); when referring to this broader group, the term ''Anglophone America'' is sometimes used.
Suriname is not a part of Anglo-America because
Dutch is the official language there, like in the
Netherlands Antilles and
Aruba. English is also the official language of the
Falkland Islands.
The adjective 'Anglo-American' is used in the following ways:
★ to denote the cultural sphere shared by the
United Kingdom, the
United States, and sometimes
English Canada. For example, "Anglo-American culture is different from French culture." Political leaders including
Sir Winston Churchill,
Franklin Roosevelt, and
Ronald Reagan have utilized the term to discuss the "
special relationship" between the United States and the United Kingdom.
★ to describe relations between the
United Kingdom on one hand and the Americas, in particular the
United States, on the other. For example, "
Anglo-American relations were tense before the
War of 1812."
As a noun, 'Anglo-American' can refer to an English speaking
European American, sometimes shortened to '
Anglo'. This usage occurs most frequently in the discussion of the history of English-speaking people of the United States and the Spanish-speaking people residing in the western U.S. during the
Mexican-American War. This usage generally ignores the distinctions between
English Americans,
German Americans,
Irish Americans, and other
northern European descent peoples, comprising the majority of English-speaking Europeans in the
United States.
Sources
1. "North America" ''The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. 2001-5. New York: Columbia University Press.
See also
★
Northern America
★
Americas (terminology)
★
Anglo
★
Anglophone
★
Hispanic
★
Anglo African
★
European American